The Sierra Nevada Corporation announced on Monday that all 11 Orbcomm Generation 2 satellites launched atop a Falcon 9 rocket in December have passed in-orbit checkouts and were handed over to Orbcomm for regular operation as part of the company’s Machine-to-Machine architecture.

SpaceX conducted a Static Fire Test of the Falcon 9 booster that recently launched and returned to Florida’s space coast, becoming the first rocket stage to propulsively land after sending a payload on its way to orbit.

This is a reconstruction of Monday’s Falcon 9 mission that successfully delivered eleven Orbcomm second generation satellites to Low Earth Orbit and achieved a milestone in space flight history by becoming the first orbital-class launch vehicle to return its first stage to Earth for a rocket-powered landing just minutes after blasting off.

SpaceX achieved a successful landing of a Falcon 9 booster stage Monday night, coming back from the edge of space after sending the rocket’s second stage on its way to deliver a group of 11 satellites for communications provider Orbcomm.

SpaceX achived a successful landing of a Falcon 9 booster stage Monday night, coming back from the edge of space after sending the rocket’s second stage on its way to deliver a group of 11 satellites for communications provider Orbcomm.

SpaceX accomplished a special feat Monday night, successfully returning the company’s Falcon 9 booster to a safe on-shore landing after sending the rocket’s second stage on its way into orbit to dispatch a group of 11 Orbcomm satellites to deliver Machine-to-Machine communication services. Many spectators gathered in locations around the safe perimeter of the landing site and many shared their unique views of Monday’s booster landing.

SpaceX decided to postpone the Falcon 9 Return to Flight Mission on Sunday to a new liftoff target Monday night with a one-minute window opening at 1:33 UTC on Tuesday, 8:33p.m. local time at the Florida launch site.

SpaceX conducted a Static Fire Test with its first upgraded Falcon 9 rocket on Friday as one of the final steps ahead of the return to flight mission and introduction of the Falcon 9 Full Thrust Version.

SpaceX has re-aligned its plans for the return to flight of the Falcon 9 rocket, also coinciding with the premiere of the Full Thrust version of the launch vehicle. The company plans to conduct one launch before the year is out, currently targeting December 16 for the usual Static Fire Test to clear the rocket for liftoff on the 19th